While the name Utah Hockey Club is a temporary one, you can’t, or shouldn’t, say the same about their team colors. Colors reflect a team’s identity more than anything, and because of them, you don’t even need to look at a logo to know who’s who - at least for the most part.
Yeah, I’m talking about the Pittsburgh Penguins and Boston Bruins, both of whom possess an identical color scheme and nearly identical uniforms. But let’s head over to the NHL’s Central Division, one of which Utah will be part of, and say, for example, red and black, and you immediately picture the Chicago Blackhawks.
Ditto for the Dallas Stars, with their “Victory Green,’ black, silver, and “Skyline Green.” In recent seasons, teams have trended toward what the Stars are doing, such as the newest teams in the NHL. The Vegas Golden Knights have a color called “Steel Gray,” while the Seattle Kraken went all out with “Deep Sea Blue,” “Shadow Blue,” “Boundless Blue,” and “Ice Blue.”
As for Utah, they took things in the same direction as Seattle, given their beyond unique colors. At first glance, you may say something like, “black, light blue, and white.” But upon further research, those colors aren’t just more specific; they’re unique to Salt Lake City.
Utah Hockey Club’s color scheme makes a ton of sense
Instead, the Utah Hockey Club’s colors are “Rock Black,” “Mountain Blue,” and “Salt White,” all of which make sense when you think about it. Each color has to do with a specific element of Utah’s landscape, and it’s why, going forward, Utah has got to keep these colors even if the name should inevitably change.
If the scheme remains consistent throughout the decades, it has a chance to become historic. Again, think black and gold, and either Boston or Pittsburgh comes to mind. Red and white? Detroit Red Wings. Red, white, and blue? Montreal Canadiens.
Of course, the second you see a spoked wheel, a skating penguin, a winged wheel, or a C with an H in the middle of it, you also immediately identify them with an NHL team. This had to be one reason why owner Ryan Smith wasn’t interested in picking an official name for the franchise’s first season - he should want a logo to make this team memorable from Day 1.
Should all of the above occur, plus retaining the color scheme throughout the decades, Utah could become one of the NHL’s more storied franchises, even if it’s technically the league’s youngest. Want proof that such a team can create such a storied history despite its lateness in the league? Just look at Vegas.